Dick in a Box
by Fae 206
Summary: Dick Grayson has always learned his sense of morality from his experience but when he gets put into the body of a middle-aged Arkham telepath, he tries to get Bruce to help him win his old life back. With Grayson seen as dead and Gordon knowing his and Bruce's identities, will Bruce be able to save his "son". With only them knowing the truth, will Dick be able to prove his worth?
1. Chapter 1 - New Identities

**AN:** I'm going to be honest in this. Though Dick Grayson is my third favorite DC character (following Diana Prince and Pamela Isely), there is just so much Batman that there are going to be plot holes and inconsistencies everywhere. This is also my first fanfic focusing on Dick. I have ones focusing on Jason, Kirk, and Pamela already. Thank you for your understanding and acceptance. I'm just here to have fun 😊

 **Dick in a Box**

 **Chapter One – New Identities**

Another night in Bludhaven meant another night of exhaustion and crime fighting, another night trying to be a good guy and strike out on his own. At least, that's the way Nightwing or once-travelling-acrobat, Dick Grayson, thought about it. He wanted to do some good and whether that meant leading a team, like Batwoman had been charged with, or going out on his own, he wanted to follow his values just as his guardian had taught him.

There was the sound of alarms and Dick once more went out in the black and blue to try to take down the criminal. As he made his way through the residence, he landed on the ground and stretched his hand down, looking for clues. There were so many things that Bruce had instilled in him. You had to make sure to find each exit way out of a location, you had to learn how to turn anything into a life saving weapon, you had to learn the limits of your opponent before engaging in a fight with them because you wanted to be able to challenge them and win but leave them able to contemplate their actions which required a working brain.

Hearing another noise, Dick did a back flip and managed to look around. He could create a mental map of any place with only being there less than three minutes and he was working on getting that time dropped. He needed to figure out how each fight would play out as soon as his foot touched the pavement. That's what Bruce would do, what Batman would do.

With a deep inhale, he managed to hear the sound of two guys about to break the glass of a building. If he went to the wall, jumped, grabbed the railing, used it to do a double flip to grab onto the other railing, then he could drop down successfully in front of the crooks and deliver a flawless one-liner.

Or he could have had he not felt a piercing sting of an arrow in his shoulder.

What would Green Arrow be doing shooting at him? Or what would he be doing out of Seattle and in this neck of the woods? Those were the questions that Dick asked himself before he fell onto the ground, unable to get up. He heard menacing laughter and felt somebody grab his body. Okay. Play dead. Why wasn't he able to get up?

…

…

"You, sir, have the intelligence of a dung beetle and the sense of humor of a piece of dry toast."

"Yeah, and I ain't thinking that joke's funny,"

"Why don't you let the coin decide if that's funny, you know the black comedy of the tragic clown."

Richard Grayson opened his eyes as he heard those familiar voices but he couldn't move. White padded cell. What on earth was he doing in here? The way the place looked, the way it smelled, the sounds….this was Arkham. Why was he in Arkham?

"New convict, ey?" Dick heard and he managed to soften his breath. He looked up to see Waylon Jones staring at him. Wasn't he supposed to be on the Suicide Squad? Turned over a new leaf? Well, trust Waller for letting her special task force remain influenced by the people in this crappy psycho jail.

"There's been a mistake," he tried to say before freezing. That voice wasn't his. What was happening? Why was he so weak? He had to keep a low profile. Jason was blown up by the Joker alone, the first death of a Robin. He could take the Joker on solo when he was at his best, he had stepped in as the Batman in Bruce's absence, but even Bruce would have difficulty finding his way out of Arkham.

Maybe he could get some answers if he saw him.

"What are you newbie?" Waylon continued, "You look like you're in your forties."

"And you look like you've escaped from the zoo," Dick returned attempting to be in character. Obviously people here didn't recognize him as either Nightwing or Robin and it was best if he kept a low profile. He closed his eyes and tried to take notes of his situation. He was in the body of a criminal or at least he had been mistaken for a criminal. Without any glass around, maybe he could find out how he looked in one of the bars of the cell.

He managed to stand and then immediately fell down.

This wasn't going to be easy. As he moved forward, he noticed that his body was smaller, weaker. He saw his reflection and froze. This wasn't his body and he had honestly believed that…who knows what to believe anymore, with so many flashpoints and time changes and superheroes wanting to fly around the earth and go back in time, it was hard to rule anything out as an impossibility.

He looked like a dirtbag hobo but his eyes were different colors, one was a deep red whilst the other was gold. Okay, so magic. Maybe this man had some type of magic? Dick made his way back to the bed and sat down on it, closing his eyes and trying to think of all the powers that he could have. He listened hard to the sounds around him, something felt as if it were connecting to them. Sound frequency? Who had he been against who dealt with sound frequency apart from Manbat.

Dick's mind wandered as he thought about Wayne Manor and the grandfather clock and the Batcave. Maybe he could manipulate some sound frequency to send a signal, maybe he could work out if there was a way he could break free from this cell.

 _Bruce,_ he thought deeply to himself, _Bruce. God damn it, if there's a way to get me out of this Bruce would -_

 _Hello? Who is this?_

Dick heard that voice play inside his head and felt hope within the darkness. He had to keep hold of it, remember all the steps to what he was doing. Maybe he wouldn't need to break out of here after all. Just keep looking forward to parole whilst Bruce helped him. It was good to have connections like that.

 _Bruce, it's….listen, my voice it doesn't sound like mine but it's Dick. I'm in somebody else's body. I'm -_

 _To my knowledge, Richard Grayson died early this morning. I'm not sure how I'm communicating with you, wouldn't you prefer to talk face to face, it would certainly be easier for me._

 _Sorry, to disappoint, but I'm in Arkham right now. Pretty hard for an escape._

 _In that case, hold tight. I don't belie-_

 _Just wait a moment, I'll see if there's something that,_ Dick focused his attention of a couple of more intimate moments that he and Bruce had had over the past. He didn't know whether he had just left the man in silence or whether Bruce was actually able to read what was going on but he had to at least want for these images to play in Bruce's head.

 _How are you doing that? How are you control- I'll come down. I don't think there's a way of getting you out and into a warm bed but I'll come down and see if there's anything I can do. Hold tight, okay?_

…..

…

Bruce had been staring at the documents in shock as he sat opposite Gordon in the police station. He didn't know what to say because the evidence seemed to be there. Dick had been burnt alive after failing a jump he would have made easily had he been concentrating. There was enough physical DNA and other samples to prove that the body was his and he had his Nightwing costume on. That might mean the way that Jim was looking at him was only justified.

"I've always had my suspi-" Jim Gordon said as he studied Bruce Wayne's jawbone. "I wouldn't have know-"

"Can we please keep the attention on Dick," Bruce said as he looked at the photos of the corpse and the outfit that Bruce felt he had put on him himself, the calling card for those needing somebody to stuff in a coffin. After thinking that he had lost Tim and the feelings that crippled him after Jason, Bruce needed to concentrate on how to honor the original Robin but more importantly how to honor Richard Grayson.

There was silence in the office and Bruce sighed.

"If you would like to arrest me then I ask that I find out the details of my ward's death before you stick me into the asylum. I know that you could gather the proof quite easily and if you want to then it should definitely be you bringing me in," Dick said and Gordon shook his head in response.

"There are select photos for my files only and as for the suit he was wearing, let's say that some cans of oil were near the body," Gordon commented before looking at the photos. "That piece of information will be between the two of us but as you know, we will have to keep certain things confidential which means we can't make too great a spectacle of.

"I know how to honor him," Bruce nodded, "And I am thankful for your continued support."

"So, Bruce Wayne has given me definitive proof that he is the Batman," Gordon said as he got to his feet and Bruce looked at him with a deep and heavy exhale. This hurt more than anyone could understand. His idea of the Robin came from Dick, from knowing he could achieve great things. They had known one another for years. It wasn't as if he were a bird that could be replaced. His life would never be able to be replaced and it made Bruce entirely sick of the vigilantism.

"And it's with that proof that I am asking for you to keep this private. If it comes out, I'm going to have to say that you didn't know anything," Bruce commented and then looked at him and Gordon smiled.

"I just had to say it once," he said and Bruce nodded. "Now, my lips are tightly sealed."

"Do you mind if I get some air?" Bruce asked in a hollow voice, "I need to think about how to appropriately take care of this and whether there may be some chance that Dick is exceptionally good at hide and seek these days," he said though he had had numerous people looking for him.

If Dick was alive, he most likely would have heard about it by now.

Bruce took a step out into the crowded street before hearing a rough and labored voice in his head. He looked around trying to locate the origin of the voice. Was somebody pointing some kind of device at him?

 _Bruce. Bruce. God damn it, if there's a way to get out of this Bruce would -_

Bruce surveyed the area, trying to take in anyone who had a phone or other electronic device, he tried to see if anyone was looking in his direction but he came up empty. Was this some new criminal that he didn't know about?

 _Hello, who is this?_

It was so weird talking to his own head like this but hopefully this person wasn't a genius or a criminal mastermind. Hopefully they were someone who had some powers but didn't know how to us—was somebody reading his mind. He had to clear his thoughts, had to get Dick out of his mind.

Bruce froze as the voice tried to tell him that it was Dick Grayson stuck in somebody else's body. If only that were true? But the person was trying to coax him down to Arkham. It sounded very fishy and then it happened. It was as if someone had taken his mind and turned it so it was facing a screen where there were memories from Dick's point of view that only the two of them knew about.

There were so many other possibilities for what this could mean but Bruce wanted to hope for the best. He wanted to see if there was a way of getting Dick out of Arkham if it was him, maybe creating a half-way home of some sort. He knew that he could vouch on Dick's behalf no matter who he was. Maybe this was a way he could give back to him and save yet another pretty little Robin.


	2. Chapter 2 - The Mind is its Own Prison

**AN:** This is a guilty pleasure to write this one, hope you enjoy 😊

 **Chapter Two: The Mind is its own Prison**

When he had been offered the chance to observe Dick's body, Bruce had taken the opportunity. There was more than oil on the outfit, even if bleached it wouldn't show that he was the famous Nightwing. All it would prove was that he had a fantasy of dressing up in costume and then it would loop around and who could he be spending his day with, the Batman but that didn't matter now.

Dick was either in one of two places – although the idea of a third, fourth, or fifth place being added to that idea wouldn't be completely unthinkable – and having him as a possessed spirit of a man in Arkham was better than never seeing him again. He closed his eyes trying to think.

 _Dick. Nightwing. Can you hear me?_

It was useless to make the attempt. There were still a lot of powers and devices that he had trouble wrapping his mind around. He was a man who had trained in various disciplines under various mentors and teachers and great and powerful men like Ra'as Al Ghul but his main claim to fame was his money. What would happen to that if the secret came out.

"Do you have any suggestions?" Gordon asked and Bruce stared at him.

"Prepare the body for cremation," he told him, "but…" he lifted a hand and then pulled off Dick's mask and seeing the burnt face. He was begging inside that this wasn't the end and he gently made sure his eyes were closed. "Don't burn the body just yet, there's something that I need to check up on."

Gordon watched him, the pieces coming together in his head. "Am I right to assume that the other Robins have been the other boys you've taken in as wards."

"For a police commissioner you ask a lot of irrelevant questions," Bruce said as he tried to pick up if there were any bugs. He couldn't find any devices that might be tracking what was being said. "However, don't think me heartless enough to take boys into my care with the idea of training them to be soldiers. You were working on the night my parents were shot. Things like that change people and I'm not so fond of this twenty-question game."

"You want me to make sure that nobody else has seen the body?" Gordon asked as Bruce headed to the door. "Nobody knows what he was wearing when he died, only you and I. Besides, haven't you gone over a lot of territory. You have people posted everywhere. In Gotham, the outskirts, Bluudhaven,"

"You mean Burnside," Bruce asked and there was a pause in the conversation as Gordon started to think about his place in all of this. "Yes, I have people everywhere but Nightwing didn't work outside of Bluudhaven frequently."

"Interesting," Gordon commented, "because he was found in Gotham."

Bruce sighed, "The way that you talk about this, you make it sound like we're friends. I should warn you that if you are -"

"I would like us to be friends whether you're in a cowl or not," Gordon stressed, "If we have to fake the relationship to the public that we barely know one another then fine, but you know my own family because you know all about what goes on inside of Gotham more so than I expected from either side of you. I would like to consider us friends."

"Good," Bruce nodded as he turned to the door, "As would I."

With that, Bruce Wayne left Jim Gordon to cover up the body of Richard Grayson and prepare it for cremation.

…

…

Dick had managed to get this body into a half lotus pose on the bed. It definitely needed some food in it and if he were going to be using it for a longer period of time, then he knew exactly which areas of the body he would want to build up. It wasn't a complete loss other than that he was in his forties, with a weak and body about to be facing malnourishment whilst in Arkham.

This body had some sort of telepathy as well as telekinesis. He wondered why he didn't remember this guy but it was probably someone that one of the other vigilantes had brought in here. He heard Waylon throw another insult at him but remained calm.

The physical body was something you had to train from scratch but the mental wasn't The psychological skills you carry over were yours as long as you could think coherently. Amid the sounds of the criminals he had had a hand in bringing down to this place, he heard the guards and tried to lower his breathing so that he could plan this silently.

"Well, it's great that you guys let me down here. If I knew that a little money was all it took to come and talk to one of the prisoners at this hour then I might need to look into another check book," Bruce laughed to a guard that he had known mainly as himself. He had kept checks on the ones who knew Batman and the ones who knew Bruce.

 _Bruce, are you down here? Can you hear me?_

"Is something wrong, Mr. Wayne?" the guard asked as a few prisoners seemed to find it funny to have the playboy down there with them. He could feel him getting closer.

"I was just thinking that I might have forgotten to tell Alfred that I'll be a little later than planned," Bruce lied as he closed his eyes and spoke about what type of meal he'd be eating whilst communicating in his head.

 _I can hear you. What's the name that you're using?_

 _I don't know it. If it helps then I'm….I'm near Killer Croc._

 _Okay, well give me a moment to stall them. Are you okay? You're not in a dire situation, right?_

 _No, but I'm not sure what to do in the situation that I am in_

"If you don't mind, I think that the man I was told had insider information on my company is down this way," Bruce said before getting to the room where Dick's new body was in. "I think this is the room," he said and the guard opened the door.

 _If this is right te-_

 _It's right. It's the right door._

"This one's a real mystery to us, he was brought in here earlier by the Batman and we can't find a name or an alias or even any evidence of the crimes that he's committed but if the Batman put him in here," the guard said and Bruce frowned.

"So, you're saying that there might not have been any crime that this man has caused?" Bruce asked whilst stepping foot in the room.

 _I've never seen this body before in my life._

 _Wouldn't have blamed you had you turned me in. Are we going to be doing this with the guard here? I mean I'm okay with it but doesn't it look like we're just staring at each other. So, what can I do to prove that it's me because anything physical in this body is -_

 _Do you think you could…_

Bruce tapped his head and the guard looked at him confused before looking back at the criminal on the bed.

"Yeah, sometimes I have to poke the thoughts in there, or kind of remind myself of what I'm thinking, nervous habit," the guard commented.

"Yes, it truly is. I think it's universal," he laughed in a charismatic way.

 _Can you show me the first night that we went out as….the two of us?_

Dick nodded as the guard looked between the two of them, the guard smiled as he saw Dick's new body seem to slump against the walls as if he was taking a nap. The guard then turned to Bruce and froze at the way he was standing there with his eyes closed whilst looking in pain.

"Hey, is this, I think I need some assistance," the guard started panicking as he tried to pull Bruce back. "Mr. Wayne."

"I'm fine," Bruce said before opening his eyes.

 _That's enough, that proves it but I'm not sure what….I can do. They say they don't have a paper file on you, do you know anything about you?_

 _Working on it._

 _Act as if you're sick. Get them to take you to medical, that's all I can think of for right now._

Bruce smoothed down his suit and straightened his tie, "It really is getting late and I don't think I've found the answers that I'm looking for. I would like to see if the police will allow me to go over the notes since I am of course concerned about the -" Bruce froze as he saw that there was vomit now on the floor of the cell and the man was performing out a perfect example of a seizure.

"Medic," the guard started yelling, "We need a – Mr. Wayne, you have to leave."

 _Good going, Dick. I'll come back for you. We'll figure this out. I won't leave you to rot down here._

 _It's okay, do what you can, it'll be okay._

"I might come back a bit sooner than I was planning," Bruce said as he looked at his watch. He turned his back on the cell. "Tell me if you do find any information," he said as he saw the medics come and he wanted to stop them. The treatment of criminals was horrible in this place which was why most of these people never truly reformed. He only hoped that Dick would be safe.

…

…

"Sir, are you quite sure that you're thinking clearly. I mean, after Master Timothy and Master Jason died, you weren't quite like this. I know that you've been one to always keep your feelings on lets say the less than expressive side but Master Richard was the first boy that you took in," Alfred said as he pulled the car up to the gates of Arkham. "By bringing a criminal into Wayne Manor, well then you're-"

"They didn't have evidence on him, they don't even have proper information about where he's from," Bruce said with a sigh. He looked at Alfred, could they trust him? He felt that they could but it wasn't his secret to share. "Besides, I'm going to offer them a job as your assistant."

"If that is a joke, Master Bruce, then I do not consider it a good one," Alfred commented before frowning. He saw Bruce get out of the car and then saw an envelope of cash. Was he bribing them? He wouldn't put it past him but why would Bruce be doing so much for one convict unless…did they?

Alfred followed Bruce out to where a middle aged homeless man seemed to be approaching them from the other side. Alfred felt very uneasy about this man entering the manor and of seeing Bruce smile to him like that after the death of Richard Grayson. Despite the many arguments, the two cared about each other greatly.

After some words with the guard, Bruce went back to Alfred with the new Dick following behind him.

"Richard, I'd like to introduce you to my butler here and the best man that I've ever known, Alfred Pennyworth," he smiled as Alfred raised an eyebrow.

"I'm going by William," Dick said as he held out his "ID" which read his name as Richard William Powers.

 _I thought you were going by whatever the ID said._

 _And thanks for making me one but I don't know if we should be calling me Richard if the body that I'm In isn't_

 _Oh, the body you are inhabiting is that of a dick. Besides, I didn't pick that name out for you. I caught it on one of the paper files. I'm glad that you can be Dick Powers._

 _Did you just pull a joke Mr. Dark and Serious?_

"And why does William need to be my assistant instead of for another house. The great art of being a butler does extend outside of Wayne Manor," Alfred said and William bowed his head with a soft sigh, he looked up at Bruce for support.

 _It might be too much for him. I don't know if I could project into his mind._

"Let's get inside the car," Bruce suggested before turning his attention to Alfred. "Could you drive us back to the manor," he asked as he turns to look at William. "Alfred, that isn't just a middle aged man that is back there and trust me. I've checked the other angles.

"Then who is sitting back there?" Alfred said with a pain in his voice, his eyes focusing on the road before them. Bruce turned back to William to get his consent and then opened his mouth before the person in the back started to speak.

"Before my death I was Richard John Grayson," he said honestly as Alfred stopped the car at the side of the road.

"What?" he asked in complete shock turning to stare at the prisoner who Bruce had paid to have released into his custody. "You can't be serious."


	3. Chapter 3 - An Unexpected Match

**AN:** Thank you so much for continuing to read this strange story.

 **Chapter Three – An Unexpected Match**

Alfred stared again at "William" as he sat there in the back of the car and turned to Bruce, "Sir, I do apologize for my lack of understanding but the two of you are saying that _that_ is Master Dick?" he said as he tried to figure it out. He looked 'William' up from the tip of his toes to the top of his head and back down again. "No offense meant but he looks like destitute."

"I know what it looks like, Alfred," Bruce replied in a solemn manner, "I know that it doesn't make sense but how much of my job actually makes any sense. I want to get him back to the manor, do a full body scan to figure out who he is now, what chemical changes there are. There has to be some kind of a backstory," he said and William frowned not sure how to contribute to the conversation.

"If it doesn't come as too much of a shock, I would be willing to use my powers upon you," William told Alfred, he pushed his hair back trying to figure out if one shower was enough to clean himself up.

"I'm not sure what you mean by powers but I dare not think of the manipulation you've used on Master Bruce," Alfred commented. "But by all means, go ahead and show me how you managed to convince him."

William sighed and closed his eyes, putting images into Alfred's head of his memories becoming Robin, of talking to Alfred about some more personal things, about the pain he had when it came to his parents.

"I dare say," Alfred said as he looked at the forty year old ex-convict. "Well, you are either Master Dick or you have taken his memories and been able to digest them and to make sense of them," he looked at Bruce. "I do have to tell you that I prefer this option rather than losing another one of our family. So, shall we commence with our journey."

"By all means," Bruce nodded. He reached back and squeezed William's hand in a rare manner of concern and love. He wanted to do whatever he could for this former Robin. He felt that he owed it to him.

"I'm doing fine, Bruce," William lied before looking forward, "I do have to ask you though, how did you manage to find my name from those forms, any forms? I can't figure it out unless you were taking them from the hospital lab."

"And what did I tell you once about doubting your intelligence and abilities," Bruce told him. He looked to Alfred, "I hope that you'll be able to use him as an assistant."

"To make him do -" Alfred began but William cut him off.

"I need work and I am willing to do anything you ask of me and work hard," he said and Bruce looked at him with a nod. He had always appreciated Dick's strong work ethic. He wanted to run those tests and make sure that he understood what he was dealing with. He hoped that he wouldn't have to go to see the dead body but depending on what he found out, he might have to do just that.

…..

…

Bruce stared at the screen completely taken aback by what he had found. He looked at Dick's new body which was on a stretcher with wires attached to him. He couldn't figure it out as he saw the screen, this was impossible and he couldn't figure it out. The great Gotham detective, the Batman, couldn't figure it out.

"Is everything all right, Master Bruce?" Alfred said as he approached the younger man and Bruce hummed. "Is the computer reading the tests accurately?" he asked and Bruce looked through the analysis.

"As far as I can see, yes, but that doesn't answer any of my questions," Bruce said as he scrolled through the test results. "How could this happen, he looks so different than Dick."

"Yes, well I do have to agree with you," Alfred said, "which means that maybe someone has placed some kind of encryption on the data. Have you tested different areas? Maybe whoever this John Doe is that Master Dick is inside attached a DNA patch to himself."

Bruce raised an eyebrow, "A DNA patch? I've already tested four different sites but the thing is," Bruce put his hand under his chin as he looked at the different details before going onto another program. This would show what someone would look like were different factors introduced, "I saw Dick's body. I saw the Nightwing outfit on his body. This seems too complex unless we're talking about cloning and that is -"

"Are you thinking that the body you saw at the morgue might not be the body of Master Dick?" Alfred asked and Bruce looked at him.

"Theoretically, that would make sense. I don't think that the police did try for a DNA match. Anyone could identify the body that was found as Richard Grayson but it just seemed so real and this body isn't his, there's no chance that it could be his natural body."

"Stranger things have happened, might I point your attention to Kirk Langstrom or your so called Manbat, besides I don't think that Clayface always looked as he does now, those men were both exposed to chemicals in their blood," he said and Bruce froze. He looked at him before shaking his head, he didn't want to admit that that was a possibility despite the DNA match, the blood match, the hair match. All of those were coming back with the strong match of Richard Grayson but he didn't look like himself.

"I tried putting Dick's data into this program, it shows you how one person would look with different variations. I've run through the details myself before tonight and might I say, Alfred, that I would never recommend you becoming a woman," he said with a playful smile.

"I'll try to keep that in mind, sir," Alfred told him and Bruce uploaded a picture of Dick when they had last seen him in his normal form.

"See, if you go into the aging process, you'll find that he seems to age well and he keeps a consistent image of what he looks like. Even as an old man he has a very different appearance than he does here. Even if he were to go through a cancer or other terminal illness, the variations are not that different from one another," Bruce frowned and Alfred watched him.

"But have you located any change in his blood? Any strange chemicals that could have been injected into his blood?" Alfred asked and Bruce hummed going to the first program.

"If I bring the data down to check on an atomic level then," Bruce's eyes widened as he saw an anomaly, he selected it and then pulled up yet another program that would scan to see if there was any toxin or other substance that would have affected the DNA like that. After some searching, there was finally a chemical that was pulled up and Bruce put the data into the second program.

He paused as he saw that the look of the strange chemical, one that he hadn't thought could ever be used on a living thing without killing them, changed the image of Dick to the man on the table.

"My word," Alfred said as he placed his hands on the back of Bruce's chair. "But…but the change is so different, the two men they look like two different people."

"Which means that I need to take a visit to the morgue, see what the DNA says about the body they have there," he looked over at Alfred. "Alfred, if he does wake up?"

"Then I will offer my assistance to him without question," Alfred said as he looked sadly at the outcome of whoever had this villainous idea. He looked to Bruce, "Should I inform him of his condition, Master Bruce."

"Until I find further details, no, make him believe that he has been put into another body. Give him hope. I'll….I'll find the best way of telling him myself but -"

"might I suggest that we not encourage fairytales, Master Bruce," Alfred chimed in but Bruce shook his head.

"Just for a little while make him believe that he is in the body of another person. I don't want him to give up hope. Dick works best when he's motivated towards a goal and his goal might be going back to his old life in his old body. I don't want to take away that hope until it's time and I expect you to follow my wishes."

"Of course," Alfred said as he looked sadly upon the poor boy who had had a major part of his life stolen from him.

…..

…..

"So, I see that a shower has helped," Alfred said as he saw William coming down, his face and hair clean and a weak smile on his face. He did have to admit that he looked a little sickly and though previously, Alfred would have put that down to him being a homeless soul, he now felt more confidence in the fact that it was the virus that had spread throughout his body.

"Thanks," William said as he looked at his appearance again and Alfred felt his heart break for the poor man. "I think I'm going to have to get used to looking at myself again. So, where can I start helping you?" he asked before feeling a pain in his back.

"Are you okay?" Alfred asked concerned. He wanted to tell Dick the truth, tell him that by sharing this knowledge with the rest of their family he was sure to be accepted but he couldn't do it. It was more than Bruce's wishes that kept him from telling Dick the truth but the fact that he agreed with what Bruce had said, he didn't want to cause the man any more pain and loss of hope was certainly painful.

"I'm doing –" the doorbell rang, "I'll get it for you," he said and Alfred opened his mouth to protest but then decided not to. He followed William to the door, his heart beating as he saw the way that the body was moving with the gait and mannerisms of who he used to be.

As the door was opened, the two of them froze as they saw Barbara Gordon standing outside.

"I'm sorry," she said with a polite smile, "Are you -"

"He's my new assistant, Miss Barbara," he said and Barbara smiled, "I suppose Master Bruce has finally studied the situation enough to see that from time to time I might get more efficient at my work if I were to have help," he said and William looked at Barbara.

"Hi, it's really nice to meet you," he said, "William Powers," he smiled and Barbara nodded.

"Miss Barbara Gordon," she said before putting a hand to her mouth, tears in her eyes.

"Is everything okay, Miss Barbara?" Alfred asked and Barbara walked over to Alfred, throwing her arms around him and crying despite wanting to show how strong and capable she was, "Whatever is the matter?" he asked and Barbara looked down.

"Dick," she sobbed, "I can't….I can't handle it, I realize that…I was stupid…so stupid, but I'm still in love with him and I never got to tell him," she said and Alfred held her in his arms, sharing a look with William who gazed at her painfully.

"No," he whispered and Alfred looked between them. "I can't do that to her."


	4. Chapter 4 - True Forms

**Chapter Four – True Forms**

Inside of William, Dick was watching Alfred comfort Barbara whilst he occasionally shot glances at him, when William shook his head Alfred sighed and continued to hug the red head although the two of them knew she wanted Dick. Well, she wanted Richard Grayson or she wanted Bruce Wayne. However, she didn't want Richard William Powers. He was too old for her. Too strange. Too disconnected from her world.

"Miss Barbara, prey tell," Alfred said as he took a step back and placed a comforting hand on each of the woman's shoulder, "Have you eaten at all since you heard the news?"

"No, I…" Barbara attempted to stop her sobbing, "I can't eat."

"Well, if I'm not mistaken you had a particular fondness for a certain lunchtime entrée which I would have no problem preparing," Alfred said, "so if you would like to sit in the dining room, I would be most willing to prepare it for you."

"I…" Barbara said awkwardly as William tried to avoid looking at her, "I can't put you out, Alfred. You must have your own grief to deal with. I can just…"

"I insist, the heart aches the most once the one you love has departed and I truly do miss Master Dick but you have to keep a stiff upper lip about these sort of matters," he said sadly. Thankfully he was quite a thespian, it was that that helped him deal with the Batman.

"I can't refuse you twice," Barbara said as Alfred started to lead her to the main dining room.

"Come along, William," Alfred said as he exchanged a sharp and piercing glare with the other man, "I trust you remember where the main dining room is, there is an assignment in there for you," he said and gestured that if he didn't follow there would be trouble. Reluctantly, he did so.

Alfred pulled out a chair for Barbara where she used to sit at the dinners she came to. Unlike the young wards, she had a father that she ate meals with and so she didn't have quite the experience that they did but she would partake in the occasional meal especially as the Batgirl.

"You wait right there, Miss Barbara," he told her and Barbara nodded, "William, I expect for you to dust all of the paintings, be especially careful with them as they would be more than a year's paycheck for you if anything were to happen," Alfred told him and William nodded nervously as he kept looking at Barbara. He didn't want to tell her but her revelation struck him. She still loved him? They had broken up quite some time ago but he had often thought of her as the greatest love of his life. In this body that was too much to hope for.

"I'll be right back, Miss Gordon," he said with a slight bow before going off to get the items that he had seen Alfred use to dust these paintings in the past. Once he returned he caught Barbara crying with her head in her hands. Yes, he was being a dick by not comforting her but she would only change her mind on her feelings if he told her the truth.

"I'm so sorry," the red head apologized as she tried to quieten her sobs. "I must seem like an embarrassment to the Wayne family," she said and William shook her head. Dick had seen her lose her confidence, being shot by the Joker and winding up in a wheelchair would cause anyone to lose their confidence, but he hadn't expected it to be for him.

"Not at all, you lost someone quite special to you. I'm sure that the memories you have are causing you the grief," he said as he started on the first painting. "You know, they say you look back at the past with rose tinted glasses."

"It's not like that with Dick, I know how annoying and irritating he could be especially if he got overly-confident and cocky but he was…I knew that he was the love of my life, that I wanted to marry him and have a child with him if we had ever sorted out our issues, the issues to do with our breakout. People like Richard John Grayson are rare.

"Perhaps not as rare as you may believe," William said and Barbara laughed at that.

"Yes, Dick was rarer. Did you ever have a chance to meet him?" she said and William shook his head. "Then you missed out on knowing one amazing guy. Dick was orphaned after his parents were taken away from him and so he was cared for by Bruce. They started off as an amazing team and I know that they cared about one another. In many ways, Dick was also my teammate as well."

"I could rely on him, I knew that he kept an eye out for me and he was willing to aid me if need be. Sometimes I pushed him away, I wonder if that ever hurt him, when I told him that I didn't need him," she said and William coughed as Dick's heart stretched out painfully in his chest.

"No, he didn't," he said as Barbara blinked up at him.

"Huh?" she asked as she tilted her head to the side, William had spoken as if he knew him or at least had met him despite saying that he hadn't had an encounter with him. It was even stranger that he was here. To her knowledge, Bruce would never let somebody in especially to clean without having prior knowledge of the bat family.

"I mean," William said quickly, "from the way that you describe him, it sounds as if he didn't. Young men sometimes sound disappointed if they can't play the hero to the woman they love but it sounds as if he trusted you to take care of the matter, it sounds as if he acted without judgment and prejudice."

"Perhaps," Barbara said slowly as she tried to study him. She smiled at the way he tried to recover from his statement, it reminded her so much of Dick but Dick was dead and she was crazy to see him in this man. Talk about great detective work, she was losing her mind.

"I'm sure of it," William said as he straightened the first painting.

"You know, Dick was always there for everybody. He truly enjoyed helping people and he was…well if he had spent more time on his studies and less on his nightly…socializing, he would have been an amazing student, the best really. He knew how to plan ahead and when there was real trouble, he wasn't scared about standing up and being a leader."

"It was terrifying," William laughed and Barbara stared at him with an open jaw as he dusted the second painting, "I mean….I mean, it must have been terrifying for him to take a leadership role. Most men are scared about rising to the occasion as the saying goes."

Barbara sighed before standing up and she took hold of the painting's frame causing William to look her in the eyes, "Who are you really?" she asked and for a short second William turned extremely pale before he regained composure.

"It doesn't matter as to who I am. I apologize for speaking out of turn. I have been hired here to be an assistant to Master Wayne's butler. I do apologize for giving such ready opinions," he said and Barbara leaned forwards, using her skills to study him.

"So, what are your true feelings concerning the Batman?" she asked and William's eyes widened just by a fraction but it was enough for Barbara to catch, she was once Oracle after all.

"The Batman? You mean that caped crusader, well I'm sure that Master Wayne doesn't partake in any illegal activities so he has no fear of the Batman. This manor would be perfectly safe if such a masked vigilante gives you hesitation, Miss Barbara." William said as he tried to cover up his mistakes and Barbara hummed.

"Excuse me," she said before looking at him, "That painting is a bit crooked, I'd stand further back if you want precise alignment and working under Alfred's guidance you _do_ want correct alignment." Barbara surveyed him again, watching his mannerisms and making note inside of her head. She was always good with clues, put it down to being the daughter of the police commissioner.

Barbara left the dining room and headed to the kitchen, if she wasn't going to get the answers from William then Alfred would definitely give them to her. She was going mad. Even if Nightwing had been with Batman on a trip of this manner then he wouldn't have fought an enemy that could do this to him. There had to be another explanation for it.

"Alfred, may I speak with you a moment," Barbara requested. She felt so out of breath. The idea of William actually being Dick in disguise and therefore his death being falsified was causing her mind to spin. She must be losing it.

"Of course," Alfred said as he set the temperature on the stove to a low simmer, "What is this matter concerning?" he asked her again and Barbara looked in the direction she had just come.

"Why was William hired? Why did Bruce need a second butler? Bruce has always been a very private person and knowing his alter ego he has had to be so why did he hire William? Why are you able to move around so freely after the death of someone you've cared for for so long? Why is Dick like that? Why are you having the -"

"Well Master Bruce did consider the options for William and it was decided that he would work under me, he is an ex-convict and though I do not believe he has much of a history, I've heard that it's impossible for ex-convicts to get decent work in Gotham City. As for why I am able to carry on after such a tragedy, I believe that it is only proper to carry on with your duties. I do assure you that there is a reason why Master Bruce chose William for these tasks, as strange as it is to have another set of hands to help me," Alfred said and Barbara placed her hands down on the counter in front of him.

"Are William and Dick the same person?" she asked and Alfred looked at her.

"I assure you that their physical characteristics should prove to you that they are not, they do not resemble one another," Alfred said and Barbara looked at him.

"And you know that with villains like Pyg out there that the outside appearance isn't important. Haven't you realized yet that the Boy Wonder and the Nightwing aren't the only costumes that I've seen Dick in? Bruce has always told me to study for any clues and it's as if I'm watching the same mannerisms, the same inflections but with a different voice," Barbara said and Alfred opened his mouth.

"What do you want me to say, Miss Barbara?" he asked staying very calm though inside his proper demeanor he was excited that she had been able to figure it out so early on. He would have to keep an eye out for those mannerisms in order to protect Dick from any villains that he couldn't handle in this untrained body.

"I want you to tell me if, underneath the appearance, William is Dick," she said and Alfred paused for a moment.

"That is not a matter for me to disclose," he said and Barbara stared at him in shock.

"How?" she asked, "How could this have happened?"

Alfred sighed, "Can you promise me something?" he asked her, "for his more delicate mental state at the present, I request that you act as if you don't know this information and you treat him as a stranger but that is Master Dick and I'm afraid the physical changes seem, at least for the present, irreversible."

 **End of Chapter Four**

 **Thank you for Reading**


	5. Chapter 5 - Mental Anguish

**Chapter Five – Mental Anguish**

Barbara was trying her best to not let the news overwhelm her. She didn't know which emotion she felt more strongly. Joy that the man she loves but didn't want to admit to him, she was and would always be in love with. Anger at the fact that someone had done something to make him look this way. Fear that he would never tell her who he was or what happened. Anxiety on how to approach him when she wanted to make sure he was taken care of.

No matter what emotion she had though, Alfred's words kept playing in her head.

Irreversable? Treat him as a stranger? Delicate mental state?

Well, being both Batgirl and Oracle was a lot like acting. She could act. She couldn't help feeling bad for him though, he wasn't himself and she imagined that if something like this had happened to her, she would be scared to feel alone and unwanted. Would she even tell her father? Well, she most likely would but would he be able to accept her? Was he even able to accept her brother?

She entered the room and sat down at the table.

"Is everything okay?" William asked before coughing, "My apologies, is everything okay, Miss Barbara?"

"Just making one small request for dinner, though I should know better than to say anything about Alfred's cooking style," she said as she watched him and he nodded, finally finishing the chores in this room. Now that she knew the truth, she could see all of those small mannerisms, the way he maintained the posture of someone who had been taught to work as an acrobat, the way he kept his voice calm so as not to bring further attention to himself.

"Is that so, I must admit that being brought into this house, I still have a lot to learn," William smiled and Barbara looked down with a nod.

"Yeah," she sighed before closing her eyes and letting her tears fall.

She froze as William approached her with a handkerchief and she took it from him. She missed the way his hand felt. She knew that his hand would feel differently now, he looked nothing like his old self, but the angle in which it curved, the pressure, would that feel the same.

"Thank you," she whispered as she dabbed her eyes.

"I don't want to hurt your feelings," she said and then looked away as she noticed William attempting not to make eye contact with her. She wouldn't pressure him.

"Did I do something to offend you, Miss Barbara? For that I am eter-"

"Call me Babs," she whispered as she turned to him, "Like you used to."

"I don't understand what you're tal—" William said quickly as he pulled back and Barbara wanted to throw her arms around him, explain to him that it was okay and that, though she was still trying to get comfortable to the idea, she still loved and wanted him. No matter what he had gone through or how he felt, she wanted to express how important he was to her.

"Dick," she whispered softly as his eyes widened, "You can talk to me. You could have at least told me that you were alive so I wouldn't have looked like a complete idiot out there."

"You didn't look like a complete idiot out there," he said before freezing and she looked at him stubbornly. "Bruce hired me for a reason. I am to perform my new duties here. I don't know who you think I am or -"

"Wouldn't it have been easier to just reply with, I'm not Dick Grayson," Barbara challenged him. She took a few slow breaths, "It's not as if I don't care about Tim or Damian or even Jason but…they aren't the ones that I love," she said as she frowned. He definitely did look different to her but so did Harvey Dent after the accident, hell, even Basil was a lump of clay.

"I'm not Richard Grayson," he told her, "not…anymore at least."

"And yet you left me crying like an idiot," she whispered, "You're pretending to the whole world that you're dead and -"

"They found my body dead. This form is permanent and you weren't crying like an idiot," William challenged her as he put his hand on his forehead. "Barb-Babs, what you said about me, I feel very fortunate to hear that but you have to understand that in this -"

William was about to continue but Barbara had already left her seat and had walked over to him, thrown her arms around him, and kissed him passionately. She smiled as she closed her eyes and then drew back. He definitely did look different but his lips and kisses were the same. She still felt so calm around him. He _had_ to let her help him.

"So," she whispered as she gently brushed her fingers through his hair, "How can I help?"

"I'm not sure of that any longer," Dick said honestly.

"How about something to eat first of all. You need to build up the strength in this body if you're ever going to be healthy," she said before kissing him again and blushing. "I'm so glad that you're alive, no matter what you look like," she sniffed as she put a hand to his cheek and then left his side. She approached Alfred and he hummed at the look on her face.

"I assume that you decided to be stubborn, hmm?" he asked and Barbara sighed. "Did you tell him of your -"

"He's lost in there. I want to make sure he carries on being Dick in his head. Would it be okay for the three of us to eat together, I'm concerned about his health," Barbara commented and Alfred sighed.

"So am I, Miss Barbara, so am I."

…..

…..

Blue and black clothing. Why did it feel so bad to look at it? Those colors that always brought Nightwing to his mind and now he was nothing and even worse was the fact that he didn't feel well. He had had Alfred suggest to him that he take an early night but sitting around and not doing anything wasn't helping. These headaches weren't helping. Was this what a migraine felt like for someone this age? Just this blinded heat…his brain felt completely scrambled as he staggered to the bed.

Was he William or was he Dick? He didn't really see himself as Dick Grayson anymore but it was hard to just leave that life behind you. He walked over to the bed and sat down, he was beyond exhausted and all of this was coming out to show just how frustrated he was with this world.

"Take deep breaths," he told himself as he attempted to steady his body. He heard a noise at the door and immediately got to his feet.

"Alfred," William began as he looked at his new room nervously, "I was straightening things out. I assure you that I was just about to start wor-"

"You don't need to explain to me, you must be extremely tired and I suggest that you get off your feet. Would you like me to pass a message onto Master Bruce when he comes back?" Alfred asked and William looked at him.

"Can you apologize to him that I wasn't too great at being your assistant today," William joked with a laugh expressing his deep seated guilt. Alfred hummed as he entered the room, straightening a picture.

"There's a lot about being a butler that you don't see but I did care for Master Bruce after the death of his family. I feel that he is my family to take care of in his father's place. Not that I could ever live up to the great figure of Thomas Wayne," Alfred smiled sadly as he thought about Bruce's parents. "However, is there anything that _you_ want to tell him, the true you."

"The true me doesn't exist any longer, Alfred," William argued and Alfred hummed.

"Master Dick," he said as he saw William shudder, "Whether or not you feel you earn a right to be who you truly are or not, the facts remain that inside you are still Richard Grayson. You will always be him even if you choose to identify yourself differently. Master Bruce cares about you on a great level and so if there is anything that -"

"Tell him thank you for helping me," William replied and Alfred nodded.

"I will, please have a good night and don't push yourself if you are indeed as exhausted as you seem. You have had a tremendous change in your life and I think that anyone would need to take care of themselves in your position. Have a good sleep, Master Dick." Alfred said as he turned towards the door and Dick looked up at where he had been. He nodded weakly.

"You too, Alfred," he whispered as he removed his shirt. Maybe Bruce would have some information on how to get his body back into shape. He coughed again before collapsing onto the bed, his body shaking. Something was going wrong with this body.

…..

…..

"Welcome home, sir" Alfred said as soon as Bruce arrived dressed in the cowl. He had wanted to go straight to the cave but something inside of him was just burning with the need to see that William was okay. The body that the police had wasn't Dick's and he had already shared the information with Gordon but he didn't know what to say about it.

He had given Gordon the privileged information about what Dick now looked like and what name he was using so that he could get protection and immunity for past transgressions. Of course, the real reason why all of this was happening had to be kept off the record so no one truly knew or understood what happened.

No one apart from those close to Dick or with a goal of protecting them.

Bruce decided to quickly shower and then change. Hopefully Dick was still awake and they could talk. Depending on where he was mentally, he would try to break the news and then maybe Dick could concentrate his efforts to either acknowledging that he was still him but would have to take a different path in life or finding some cure.

Bruce didn't give a damn if he was a superhero vigilante or what. As long as he was healthy and alive. He slowly went to his private bathroom and took a shower. He had to get all of this behind him, focus on what was truly important and that was his relationship with the boy he had taken in following the murder of the flying Graysons.

As he changed into pajamas, Bruce went down the hall to where he had been told that Dick would be sleeping. He noticed the door was closed and so knocked only to be received by yells of pain and a distinct, 'help me'.

He spared no time in bashing the door down, entering so that he could try to help the man he felt a responsibility to. He saw him on the ground with his hands to his head and quickly came over to him. "What is it?" he asked as he looked around trying to figure out what had happened. He saw the blood on his body, the heavy scratches.

"They're coming," William whispered and Bruce paused.

What had happened? How was this happening?

 **End of Chapter Five**

 **Thank You for Reading**


	6. Chapter 6 - I'll Stay With You

**AN:** Thank you for choosing to read this story. I hope you enjoy the chapter. I love working on it so I really enjoy sharing it with everyone.

 **Chapter Six – I'll Stay With You**

They're coming?

The words repeated again and again in Bruce's mind, who was coming? Was there someone who was doing this to - no, he wasn't going to let Dick get hurt again. "Okay," he said as he put his hands firmly on Dick's shoulders and tried to stabilize his first Robin, his once-young ward. "Dick, listen to me, I want you to try to breathe normally. We need to get you into a stable position so that we can move forward in this, okay?"

Dick took quick breaths and he raised one hand off the floor, his eyes seeming to turn a bright white, almost luminescent white. Bruce made sure to keep his own breath under control and then realized that Dick was reaching out to grab his hand just as how he had wanted to hold his father's before their murder.

Bruce gripped hold of it and let his thumb move back and forth on the back of it in what he was truly hoping would be a calming motion. The blood started to come out again and Bruce was trying to find a way to stop it. He was going through his mind on any villain he had come across before who had these similar abilities.

"Dick," he whispered and saw the pained man nod, "I want you to think of how you felt when we managed to get one of those creeps locked up in Arkham. Think of…Harvey Dent, how we were able to stop him from causing harm to the city after he broke out," he said and slowly the blood seemed to stop trickling as much. "Remember that pride you used to tell me about. How doing something good for even one man brought you the pride that you hoped your parents would see."

Bruce's heart wavered slightly and he saw that Dick's eyes were starting to go back to normal, less pain could be heart in his breathing. "I'm sorry if I was ever hard on you, Dick, for all those times when we had conflicting views. I'm sorry if I ever made it seem that I didn't care about you. Your friendship is one of the friendships I hold closest to my heart."

Bruce's breath finally returned to normal as he saw that the pain had stopped, whatever danger his ward had been going through had seemed to cease and he wanted to figure out how he could keep it from happening again.

"Thanks, Bruce," Dick said as he looked at his hands and how damaged his body was. "I'm sorry, I should have…my body, if I work harder then my body…what did you find out at the police station?" Dick asked and Bruce shifted painfully. "The body…how can I get back to my own body?"

Bruce placed one of Dick's arms around his neck and helped the man to the bed. Was it the right time to tell him? Bruce wasn't at all sure what the boy wonder's reaction would be. Still, he had to trust Dick. He had to have faith in him.

"Tests are showing that the body that the police recovered, whilst it does look like yours…it isn't yours," Bruce said and Dick blinked up at him. "The body that you're using now, this is one that matches the DNA samples that I've had from you in the past. Yes, there has been a drug used to push your body to the condition that you now find yourself in but other than that, it shows to be the same body you were in."

Dick sighed as he looked at the wounds on his body. He looked completely devastated by this. This wasn't as easy as a body switch, someone had come along and they had distorted both his body and mind and turned him into somebody he wasn't. Then, they had thought isolating him was best and so had made a decoy body so that people would think that he was dead.

His life as he had known it and as he had fought for it was over. Now he was just William, someone he barely knew.

"Bruce…" Dick tried and Bruce turned to him, going to sit beside him to try to prove his support. "Who am I?"

"You are Richard Grayson, you are my sidekick, you are someone who I have invested a great deal of compassion and love into," Bruce closed his eyes, he didn't want to show Dick his weaknesses but he had to know the truth about this. He had to know that he was still fighting for him and wanted to support his future even though he might seem distant.

"I don't want to become a burden to -"

"This house is your home for as long as you want for it to be," Bruce tried to reassure him. "Temporary or otherwise. I'll want to run some more tests on you, find out how your brain is wired and why you've developed the gift that you have done. Still, I would like you to stay for as long as you would care to. I'll send Alfred up to look at your wounds," he told him and Dick dropped his head.

"Bruce, could you think you could do something for me?" he asked and Bruce raised an eyebrow.

"Alfred and…it's a long story but both Alfred and Babs know who I am but I want for it to stop there, could you please treat me as your butler's assistant around the others. I know it's going to be a hard road towards acceptance and -"

"Your secret is safe with me," Bruce attempted to smile before turning away. He hoped that he could get Dick situated in this body and make sure it maintained stability but what he had just seen had spiked a rise in anxiety for him. Was someone really trying to launch an attack on Dick's body and even trying to control him?

He'd have to run some more checks to find out.

…..

…

Jogging. Jogging was always good to calm the mind down because it brought that needed boost of energy to someone's life and that person would be able to fuel themselves for a few more hours. Well, with the ideal fuel that was. Barbara was making her way towards a small café when she paused and slowed her speed.

She hadn't expected to see _him_ waiting on a park bench with her preferred type of drink and pastry. Had he been waiting for her? She slowed down, it had been two days since she had found him and now Bruce was saying that they would have to have a funeral for the man in front of her. She sat down on the bench, taking off her headphones and looking in front of her.

"Cute sweater," she told him as she admired how that Nightwing-blue sweater reminded her of all of his heroic acts. At least he was dressing for his new age. "I like the jacket too," she said as she gestured to a Bat pin that was on the top right corner pocket.

"This isn't going to be a good conversation," he told her as he handed her the coffee and Barbara took it, letting it rest between her legs as she opened the bag for the pastry. Her eyes kept floating over to him and the severe look on his face scared her. He was getting lost inside his own mind and since he wasn't even sure what his mind was capable of now, that was certainly dangerous.

"You know that I don't like pla-"

"You love plans, always have," William said as he looked at her, he shook his head and blinked as he faced forwards.

"Yes," Barbara nodded though she kept her eyes downcast, "I suppose that I do prefer having a plan but I can work on the fly too," she teased him and William shook his head, his frown deepening. "Did you go to a doctor? Is there someth-"

"What kind of guy do you look for?" he asked her and Barbara rolled her eyes as she sipped her drink. "It's those kind of….young and stylish guys, like Cobblepot's son or that Asian guy who was in China or…or something, I don't even know anymore."

"You sound like a stalker," Barbara tried to tease him. "I guess I don't think I have a type," she shrugged and William sighed.

"Everyone has a type, that young police officer, the guy from your university," William continued and Barbara looked at him, she frowned and reached up to place her hand on his cheek.

"Or maybe I don't have a type because I've become used to seeing the person behind the mask," she said as she forced him to make eye contact with her. "Let me tell you who I see. I see my friend who I fought crime with, I see that guy that inspired me and brought out passion in me that nobody else has, I see that smart guy who had a slightly cocky side to him sometimes but was so strong and heroic in facing on his parents' death, I see a guy who risked his own life to try to help every other person in the world around him. I see Richard Grayson," she whispered and he looked away.

"Well, this is the body that is now going to be known as Richard Grayson's body," he said before sighing, "Did anyone tell you that the DNA match for this body was-"

"Who cares what you look like?" Barbara asked, "and if you're asking me to get out of your life, forget it. I can be quite headstrong when I know what I want."

"I think we all can," William said and Barbara put a hand to his cheek and kissed him. He kissed her back, pulling her in towards his chest. "I do love you, Babs, which is why I'm trying to do what is going to make your life easier."

"You're an idiot, aren't you?" Barbara chuckled as she flicked his forehead. "It took thinking that I lost you to realize that you're the love of my life. I know that you want me and I want you, that's enough to keep some of these people together and it would work for us too. Try to think more logically."

"You know, I don't think that I've ever been more compassionate than you," William told her and Barbara shrugged.

"You have a heart, I have a brain, Bruce has courage as well as some seriously disturbing things in his past. That's how we've worked together," she said and threw her arms around him again. "I'll have to learn how to get used to this body but I'm sure that I will," she said with tears in her eyes. William sighed and he wrapped his arms around Barbara.

However, the two were caught by surprise when somebody approached them. William felt that he was going to shrivel up and die because there was no way that this police commissioner and the father of his…was she really his girlfriend again?...would know who he was.

"Dad," Barbara said nervously and William sat back, he would go along with whatever she said, it wasn't as if she would say something stu—"I'd like to introduce you to my boyfriend."

Jim Gordon looked shocked as his eyes darted between the two of them. He stared at his daughter as if this was some kind of prank that she had decided to play. "I oppose of this Barbara, this man…I'm sorry, sir, but you and my daugh-"

"Dad, meet the real Richard Grayson," Barbara said as both men looked to her in complete shock.

Why had she just said that?

 **End of Chapter Six**

 **Thank you for reading**


	7. Chapter 7 - To Tell or Not To Tell

**AN:** Hope you enjoy reading as much as I enjoyed writing this chapter

 **Chapter Seven – To Tell or Not To Tell**

William felt his body temperature rising along with his breath quickening and his heartbeat getting louder and louder in his head. Was Babs somehow infected or was an alien or supervillain using her body. He looked at her before pausing as he saw Commissioner Gordon take slow steps around him to study him. William watched him nervously. Something was going to happen, you couldn't just drop that bomb and then return to a normal conversation.

"And what do you say about this," Gordon said as he looked at William. He looked between him and Barbara, his daughter seemed to be saying this was a great deal of honesty and believability but it was impossible. It was impossible that this man was the same man whose body had been found.

"With all the crazy things you-" Barbara said as she took a step forward and Gordon shook his head, lifting a finger to tell her that it would be best for her to remain silent. He frowned as he took William in and saw the unease in his eyes.

"I…" William said before bowing his head to avoid eye contact. "It's true. I am the former Richard Grayson," he said and then closed his eyes. He was afraid to see Gordon's reaction to this. He didn't want to have him look disgusted by this change. It was hard enough on him already. "With all of the super villains that you've seen it must make a little bit of sense. Also, with the superheroes there is -"

"Can you get Bruce Wayne to vouch to this?" Gordon asked and William looked up surprised. "Yes, I managed to finally figure it out and if he tells me that this is true then I would have no reason to doubt him."

William nodded and Barbara took his hand, wanting to show her support to him. "Yes, sir," he said nervously and Barbara kissed his cheek. She didn't want to see how nervous he was. She saw her father's face with all the sympathy that he could bring up. He knew how devastating this must be for someone of Grayson's true age and he didn't want to make things harder on the man.

"Then you have my belief until proven guilty," Gordon commented and Barbara wrapped her arms around her once-again boyfriend. She didn't care what he looked like. It was who he was inside that was important. Gordon turned to his daughter with things clicking about her extra curriculars in his head but he dared not to say anything. "And you obviously have my daughter's love but that makes me have to warn you that if you hurt her, I'm a police commissioner, I will hunt you down."

"I promise that I won't hurt her," William said and Barbara squeezed his hand.

"Did you still want to get lunch?" she asked her father and Gordon nodded, his eyes focusing on William's body. It must be difficult for this once-sidekick to have to endure a fate like this. This type of thing was not something that one in their twenties should ever go through and he hoped that he and his daughter would be able to offer this kid some type of relief.

…

…

William felt around in his pocket, pulling out a wallet and trying to pull some money out of it. He had never been a wealthy person – without Bruce's help – but it felt like so many years of his life were wasted and he wouldn't be able to build up the wealth that he should have had time to.

"It's okay," Gordon told him as he pulled out his wallet, "Least I can do."

William blinked at him, staring at the money and feeling guilty that he couldn't afford to treat the commissioner, he nodded his thanks but the guilt reflected in his eyes. Barbara looked at him, stroking his arm a little and then smiled at her father.

"Thanks, Dad" she said before casting her eyes downward. She saw Gordon's reluctance as he turned to William but then nodded. He'd trust his daughter right now. If something was wrong then she had the skills to protect herself. He made eye contact with William. Richard Grayson had been a really good, smart, and able kid, of course Robin was a hero and being put in this sort of situation could destroy a lot of men. Gordon was hoping that this man wouldn't feel that he needed to go down a path that could turn him into a villain. It would be a battle, a battle that not everyone could survive, but there were good people out there who weren't to be corrupted. Hopefully this man was one of them.

"Don't mention it, tell Bruce Wayne that I said hello and I am looking forward to our next meeting," he winked at her as the waitress came to get the check. Gordon watched as Barbara noticed the pain and weariness that William was experiencing. She really did love him.

"For my information," Gordon said as he looked at the worn-out male. "Is this a commonly known secret? One that could be disclosed to severa-"

"No. Only a few people know," he told him and Gordon nodded. "Only a very few people know. I haven't decided if I am going to disclose my identity to more."

"You should," the commissioner encouraged him and William looked at him sadly. "People would want to know that you are alive. Death is a worse thing to face but I won't let the cat out of the bag," he told them and William smiled gratefully. He needed to think about how and if he were going to tell the others. Maybe he should start with Tim. Tim always was the most level-headed of all of them and maybe he would be the ideal one to talk to.

…..

…

Just for a few moments or even one moment, half a moment, he just wanted to close his eyes and remember his life as Dick Grayson. He wanted to imagine his younger body, his younger life. He didn't want to be _this_ right now. He got into the garage and then found a corner near the bikes where he could just sit. He could remember those first nights as Robin and then those later nights where he balanced schoolwork and crime fighting and then the argument, the changing of identities, the way he had stepped in for Bruce a number of times. Now this and everything seemed to be gone.

Would he ever be able to get anything even slightly resembling that life back. Dick bowed his head and tried to breathe slowly before hearing the sound of someone else in the garage. He moved into the shadows but saw a flash or red, no way. Why would he be wearing that here? Bruce _hated_ any chance that their identities could be revealed.

'Alone' in the garage, Red Hood put a hand on the seat of a bike that Dick had ridden a few times and his body shook. He coughed, straightening himself up. Maybe he was the outcast in the "family", he hadn't had the right personality to be a Robin and he hadn't taken heed of Bruce's advice which had led to him falling into the trap that had cost him his life. Still, he cared for those he felt were his brothers.

"Damn it, Dick!" he yelled as he kicked the bike. He put a hand over the mask and turned so that he couldn't be seen. His shoulders were shaking. "Come on, get a hold of yourself," he said and bowed his head, putting his arm up as if to stop any tears. Was he actually crying?

They all misjudged Jason now and again. It was an easy thing to do but the guy had been through more than Dick could understand. He was brought back from death and he had had to stop himself from losing control and going completely and irreversibly insane. He often kept himself at a distance as well, believing that the bat family loathed him. He was the outcast and Dick was starting to see on a different level how painful that was, to be that outcast.

Jason looked around, trying to remain silent and listening closely and Dick felt bad that he was able to hide himself well enough to trick the other man. Maybe if he snuck out and came in again, Jason wouldn't have to know that he knew who he was. Jason whipped off the hood he was wearing in a quick grab and Dick managed to get himself out of the room and compose himself for his role of a lifetime.

As Jason tried to hide the pain he was feeling, William knocked on the door causing Jason to tense.

"Excuse me," William said as Dick studied Jason for his reaction. Jason was looking tired and malnourished, the depression could be shown in his body language as well as his eyes. He took deep breaths to calm himself before looking at William defensively. "Are you okay, sir? I assume you are a friend of Master Bruce. I am Alfred's assistant for the next few months."

"Heh," Jason shrugged, "Bruce's work schedule that packed?" he asked and William nodded before walking over to the bike. He was about to put a hand on the handlebar when Jason turned to him, his expression turning to one of desperation, "Please could you not touch it yet?" he asked and William nodded, taking a step back. "The guy who owned this bike must have hated me," he said and Dick stared at him. Where did he get that idea? Sure, sometimes he and Jason weren't on the best of terms but they had always cared about one another like brothers. "He was a huge…he _is_ a huge inspiration to me. I should be the one dead, not him."

"Ah, so Richard Grayson rode this bike," William said as Dick made sure to survey Jason closely.

Jason sniffed and gave a sad laugh before nodding, he shook his head. "They'd think I was crazy to be here. I just, since I can't actually go to the funeral, I needed my own way to say goodbye to him. Please keep this a secret?" he asked and Dick watched him again.

"Why ca-can't you go?" he asked, a feeling of concern in his voice and Jason closed his eyes.

"He wouldn't have wanted me there," he said before nodding his head, "Thank you for keeping this confidential," he told him and William looked at him nervously but Jason was off into the night before he knew how to react. What was he talking about? Of course Dick would want Jason at his funeral just as he would travel across the world to be there for his.

 **End of Chapter Seven**

 **Thank you for reading**


	8. Chapter 8 - Man Up

**AN:** Hope you enjoy. It is a little short. Also, I love Red Hood, second favorite Robin 😊 (maybe because I wasn't reading DC comics at the time when Jason was actually alive in the comics)

 **Chapter Eight – Man Up**

It was a risk to even be here right now and William knew that. He had wanted to move on and hide his identity but he had seen the way in which Jason had reacted to his death that had never really happened. He sighed. He had wanted to go unnoticed, he had definitely not wanted any of the other Robins to know his weakness but he didn't want to put Jason through this and if anyone were to understand, it would be the Robin that was blown up and came back to life.

He knew where to find him despite his body not wanting to cooperate. William stood against the side of the alleyway and took a deep breath in when he saw the red hooded figure coming back from a night of being an outlaw. William took slow breaths as he realized that Jason was looking right at him.

"You?" he asked, "Are you with the police? Why are you here?" he asked defensively and William looked away.

"I wanted to see you," he told him and Jason laughed bitterly. "You'll never believe me without me showing you my power and I don't mean you any harm. Bruce is protecting me," William said as he took a couple of steps forwards and Jason looked at him very confused. That wasn't the way that he felt that any butler or butler's assistant would address the person who had hired them, even Alfred wouldn't stand for something like that. Something was screwed up about this guy.

"Well, Alfred will probably want you to go through some more etique-"

"You don't know who I am?" William laughed before shaking his head and running a hand through his hair, brushing it back, "How could you? How could you know who I am."

"Are you saying that I'm not smart because I could figure everything out about you in only a few minutes," Jason said and William turned to him.

"Did you think that I didn't care when you were blown up?" William asked with a stern expression on his face. He folded his arms as he saw the younger man staring at him. "I'm not as old as I look," he said before sighing. "There was a virus, some kind of infection that ravaged my body. That's why Bruce is helping me. I thought that you were smart."

"What are you talking about?" Jason asked and William looked at him.

"I thought that all Robins took an oath to try to think of one another as brothers," William smiled in a way that made Jason see him as Richard Grayson but that was completely insane. Grief and mourning. Those were the problems with that, he didn't want to give into his emotions. He was so much stronger than emotions.

"So, what the hell are you saying?" Jason asked, not wanting to admit the emotions that this random guy was putting him through. He brought his wrist up but William caught hold of it and looked into Jason's eyes as he put into his mind the first time he had trained him in something. Jason pulled back and looked at the older man.

"How did you…"

"I have no idea, you think that I chose this?" William sighed, "It sucks. I used to be a kid or at least…well I wasn't even ready to have a quarter life crisis and then I die on the streets and find that I'm here or…no I woke up and…it sucks." He said and Jason looked at him confused, studying him again, he wasn't ready to believe that this was actually Dick and not just someone messing around with him.

"Bruce tested my DNA, says that I'm in my own body and that there was a fake one left at the crime scene. This new body will take a lot of training if I ever want to do anything good in my life again," Dick tried to explain and Jason just watched him but then shrugged.

"That sucks," he said and Dick looked at him with a raised eyebrow, "Sorry but it does. I don't know if I trust you just yet though."

William nodded and looked at the masked man, "We'll talk at some time, a later point," he said as he handed Jason a card with his new phone number on it and Jason took it, still wearing the mask. As William turned, Jason looked after him.

"Thanks, you Dick," he laughed and William closed his eyes and started to walk away.

…..

…..

Bruce sighed as he stood outside of the home gym where he could see William trying to exercise. Bruce really hoped that they could just start calling him Dick again. There might not even be a cure and Richard Grayson was a superb man, he had to start believing in himself again and not crushing himself under a large amount of weights. He walked in to where William was about to start exercising and took the weight off the end of the bar.

"Start off slowly," he said as he went to a box that wasn't opened yet, "we'll start small and see where you go from there," he advised. "William," he said and heard the other man's exhausted breath. His eyes widened as he felt nervous and alert and trying to see if any damage had been done to his once-ward. "What happened? Did you hur-"

"I'm letting people know in my own time," William said before looking Bruce in the eyes, "Would it be okay for you to call me Richard, at least whilst we're in the house?" he asked, "I know that I'm now an empl-"

"Come on," Bruce shrugged, "I'll call you Dick and even Alfred isn't an employee it's just that he knows I struggle with relationships. I promise you that if one day Alfred didn't want to do any work and just wanted to kick back and watch a football game with his feet up, I couldn't kick him out this house and I wouldn't want to, might have to get a doctor in though."

"A doctor?" Dick laughed as he looked at the weight that Bruce had given him. He raised an eyebrow. "You think that I need to start at fifteen pounds?" he asked and Bruce shrugged.

"Prove that you're good enough with that and then start building your endurance and the amount you can lift. This is a new body for you and having experienced building my body back up, it's hard enough with a body that you do know." Bruce looked at his disciple. "Dick, if I ever caused for you to get hurt," he said weakly and Dick shook his head.

"I knew what I was getting myself into. I mean, I didn't think I'd look like this but I knew what being Robin would do and I was willing to risk it to make my family proud, to carry on my family name." Dick smiled as he thought about whether he and Babs would ever get to the point of having children. If they did then would the Grayson family name go to them, would that be a way he could continue to make his mother and father proud despite the way he appeared.

"I never wanted to shorten your life or prevent you from having one," Bruce told him and Dick shook his head. "If because of this your plans for the fu-"

"I got back together with an old girlfriend," Dick told him as he picked up a thirty pound weight and lifted it, letting his new body get into rhythm with it. "We even saw her father."

Bruce laughed, "And I know this young lady, correct?"

"You know her father as well. I've always loved her, Babs, I think we were meant to be together and if I'm good with this memory transmission thing then she can definitely show me the work that she did as Oracle," he smiled and Bruce sighed before laughing softly. Dick turned to him confused, had Bruce snapped and lost his mind? The man didn't really sit back and just chuckle.

"Are you okay?" he asked as he put the weight down and saw Bruce pick up one much heavier before starting to do reps with it.

"I'm glad that you're alive, that I haven't broken you and that you _are_ continuing with your life," Bruce replied with a grin. Dick opened his mouth to argue but just decided to nod instead. Bruce watched him and looked away. "I might be stuck under the cowl but that was never what I wanted for any of you. I want to help cure you of what's going on but I'm happy that Barbara has decided to stay by you, you need support right now."

"And Jason…I told Jason too," Dick admitted, "but I'm not ready for anyone else to know. You can tell them that Richard Grayson isn't dead if you need to but I'm not ready for them to know who I am."

Bruce concentrated on the first Robin, the Nightwing, and nodded. He wanted to ask why this secret had spread to Jason but wasn't sure if that was his place to ask. They would have to discuss what Dick thought of as his new place and his new life right now, those were very important questions that still needed to be dealt with and Bruce hated things that were left open like this.

"Focus on getting your body ready for tomorrow, that's when we can properly focus on your training and on what you can…" there was a shift and Dick felt his head start to twinge as he leaned forwards and Bruce came to his side, letting his hand rest on the man's back.

"Alfred!" Bruce called out but Dick closed his eyes.

"It's Jean-Paul," he said and Bruce blinked, turning his attention back to the other man. "You should get in contact with…my mind is just picking up on something to do with…Azrael quite close to Gotham," he said and Bruce stared at him before seeing Alfred coming to him and Dick was starting to shake as he kept his eyes closed as if he were some radio transmitter.

"I'm going down to the cave, stay with him, tell me whatever he tells you," Bruce said warily and Alfred lifted his head to look after Bruce before realizing that Dick was the one who really needed help right now. "I'm going to get the car. I need to check this out."

"Aren't you sure that you shouldn't be sta-" Alfred said before seeing the way that Bruce was looking at Dick. "I'll make sure that he gets all the help that he needs, Master Bruce."

 **End of Chapter Eight**

 **Thank you for reading, reviews are loved**


	9. Chapter 9 - Strength in Sickness

**Chapter Nine – Strength in Sickness**

The pain against his chest was something that Dick felt unfamiliar with. He couldn't breathe, not naturally anyway and he tried to breathe but something was covering his face. A respirator mask. It wasn't that he had never had to resort to depending on medical equipment to live. He was a vigilante, he was known as the heroic Nightwing. Yet, he hadn't felt weaker. In his usual younger body, he felt hope fueling him but he couldn't feel even that.

His mind though. His mind felt so much clearer than it had before. He felt that he could actually make changes with his mind that people without actual superpowers couldn't. Was that why he felt so ill and unable to get up.

He heard someone at the side of the room and struggled. He wanted to get up but his body was too weak for that. It was as if he was paralyzed and that wasn't a good thing. He wanted to help, he wanted to be good for the team, he needed to be of some help. He took a deep breath in and then looked across to see Alfred standing there with Leslie Thompkins.

He had met Leslie before when she had tended to Bruce and she had even looked at a number of his own injuries but he hadn't seen her in this state. He didn't know if she knew or not but there was a chance that she would find out now if she took a look at his body.

"Can you sit up for me?" she asked and Dick nodded nervously before struggling to do so.

Alfred came over to him and Dick cringed as his mind seemed to pick up on other people's thoughts. For as much strength as his physical body had lost, his mind seemed more active than it had in the past. It was as if the strength had been relocated and he felt Alfred secure a couple of pillows behind him.

"It's okay," Alfred nodded as Leslie did some tests on him.

"I'm going to take a small amount of your blood to test," she said as she prepared the equipment and Dick nodded, his body feeling as if he could throw up at any moment but his head remained clear. He was coherent but his body was a different story. He felt as if he had been beaten up by someone far stronger than him.

As Leslie finished with the tests, someone ran into the room and he smiled at Barbara as she took in what was happening. She walked over to her love and old friend and put a hand on his shoulder. She turned to look at Alfred, her eyes searching for an explanation.

"What is it?" she asked feeling protective over her favorite Robin. "What happened?"

"Just a little…" Dick said as he pushed himself down into the bed and put the respiratory mask back on. He saw the tears in Barbara's eyes and reached his hand up to dry them. Babs shook her head quickly, trying not to let him see her fear.

"Will you be okay, Master Dick?" Alfred asked and Dick nodded pulling the blanket over himself and Barbara tugged him in before looking back at the butler.

"I'll take care of him," she tried to reassure him knowing that Bruce was probably dealing with some hesitation and confusion as well. As Alfred looked at the two of them, Babara nodded again. She would take care of him even if he was in this altered state.

"You know, when I was shot and had to be in the wheelchair, I was lost for a bit but I realized I could use my intellect in other ways to help out. I know that you can do the same. You're really intelligent," she said trying to help him feel better and overcome the pain. She didn't know what had happened but had been told that he was sick. Still, this body didn't have the strength in the physical abilities but it was his mind that was strong, there had to be a trade-off there.

"Does your brain feel -" she began and Dick took the mask off carefully.

"My mind feels…overpowered," he told her and Barbara stared at him. Overpowered? Meaning that he was losing control of it? He was really being caused pain by this? She put a hand on his forehead and found that he was running a fever. She sighed before holding his hand and he put the mask back on.

"I'm here. I know we'll figure this out together," she said before winking to him, "We always seem to work better as a team anyway," she commented and Dick laughed softly before closing his eyes and starting to drift off. Despite how much older he appeared, Barbara stroked his head back and kissed his forehead and then his cheek.

"I love you," she whispered hoping that he would be able to cope with these strange new developments to his body.

…..

….

"How is he?" Bruce asked as he saw Leslie packing her things up and getting to leave the manor. Despite having his different roles that he needed to play, being told about Richard Grayson's death and then finding the position in which he was in, reminded Bruce of the connections that he had made and how important those were. He still had his work as the Batman to conduct but Dick had been his first Robin, that made him special.

"He's a strong man," Leslie told him before sighing, "Given the dimensions of the face and general physical appearance, that's Mr. Grayson, I expect. Now, I'm not sure what goes on in this city but his condition…"

"It's his condition that I'm most interested in," Bruce said as he looked years older than he already was from the stress of not knowing what would happen to his former ward and his good friend. He felt a brotherly bond towards Dick that was being tested by the idea that he would soon vanish from all of their lives.

"I would think that he would have periods of his body not having the strength that he's used to but there will be good days and bad days, it's the mental tests that I want to conduct more of," Leslie told him and Bruce nodded. The powers that Dick had gained had been of mental abilities but did that mean that his body would just grow weaker and weaker. If Bruce knew that that was what would happen then he could work with it. There was more to being a hero than the physical.

Bruce nodded as he saw Leslie out and to her car. He sighed. Maybe it was time to reconsider his priorities and Dick had to be part of that. It might take a while for him to heal enough to train and Bruce wasn't sure if he could ever look like his old self again but he was interested in his mind.

If the powers that Dick had gained mentally could be trained then he could truly benefit from them and use them in helping the Bat family. He just didn't want to push Dick too far and if he really was himself then he wouldn't be considering it too far, he'd push until he hurt himself and in his condition, that was something that Bruce couldn't allow to happen.

…..

…..

Dick looked out the window before feeling his body getting a little healthier and feeling better again. He managed to sit up but was still a little nervous about actually standing. He closed his eyes and focused on his thoughts. There was a lot that he could do with his mind right now but the power to do so was what troubled him. It was easier to control your thinking when you knew how _far_ you could think.

He turned to the side to see that Barbara had left him a letter explaining that she had to go and meet with her father but he was concerned to see Jason slumped down at the corner of the room. Had they coordinated this together? Making sure that he had someone watching him.

"You look uncomfortable," Dick commented and Jason chuckled but still didn't open his eyes.

"You think that this is uncomfortable. I thought you'd slept in harder positions," Jason said before Dick tried to stand up but after not being able to find his footing, he sat down again. "Bruce let me in, I'm sometimes surprised he lets me -"

"You sometimes read him completely wrong," Dick said as he looked around for a shirt to change into. He wanted to start the day afresh and not worry about his ailments. He felt like such a burden on a family that had been there for him after a terrible tragedy to his own.

"I know," Jason nodded, "He defends me more than you know," he said and Dick looked at him. "I wanted to check in on you, make sure that you were okay," he shrugged and Dick nodded. He pushed his hair back with a shaky hand wondering if his appearance had changed due to the sickness – it hadn't – because he hadn't seen himself in a mirror.

"As well as can be imagined," Dick chuckled before turning to Jason again. "How about you?"

Jason shrugged, "Forget about me, most people usually do."

Dick sighed and shook his head, he dropped it as he looked forward. How could he say that when they both knew how much pain his absence had left for the both of them. Yes, when Jason had been acting as the villain and had let his negative feelings corrupt him, they had had to make sure to stop him but they would have done that with anyone from their family. It wasn't a conscious fight against _him_.

"We don't mean to make you feel that way," Dick told him and Jason nodded with a shrug. "So, did you want to talk to me about something."

"Just wanted to make sure that you were okay. I didn't know that you were ill," Jason took steady breaths and Dick could see a sadness within him. He saw the younger man mess up his hair and then take shaky breaths, his body acting roughly before he turned his attention to Dick. "I care about you as sappy as that might sound," he said and Dick looked at him before laughing.

"Yeah?" he asked and Jason nodded.

"I feel like you're this estranged brother but more than that you give all of us someone to look up to, to want to become, even with this you're still Dick Grayson," he admitted and then shook his head. "For so many years, all of us live in your shadow. I'm glad you're still in the light though," he said meaning that he was glad that he was still alive and didn't have to face the pain that was personal to him.

 **End of Chapter Nine**

 **Thank you for choosing to read**


	10. Chapter 10 - A Mental Challenge

**AN:** Another short chapter, sorry. Also, with this whole Ric Grayson thing. It's not my favorite but I believe that it'll either pass rather soon or else there is still a lot of Dick Grayson to read. That's the good thing about long running comic characters, if you don't like one storyline you can read another writer's interpretation.

 **Chapter Ten – A Mental Challenge**

Jason paled at Dick's request. He would do anything for this man he looked up to as a brother but he didn't want to hurt him. Nobody was sure the extent of the illness. Jason didn't want to be the one who would hurt Dick so painfully that he could die or remain bedridden. He wished that he had chosen someone like Bruce to make this request to. Okay, not someone like Bruce, he wished it had been Bruce.

"I don't want you to go easy on me," Dick said as he got up out of the bed and Jason's jaw dropped. He didn't want to do this. They had all discussed how Richard Grayson should be using his mind more and concentrating on recovering. Jason wasn't just going to beat him up especially not without good reason.

"Maybe we could try some exercise equipment," Jason suggested and Dick sighed before sitting on the bed.

"Do you not trust me or something?" he asked with a raised eyebrow and Jason laughed, pushing his hand through his hair.

"Something like that," he replied. Dick looked to him puzzled and Jason sighed, he sat next to his old friend and cupped his hands, resting them upon his knees. "I know you don't want to face the truth but you don't have the skills and abilities that you used to have. You need to go at your own pace. I'm sure that if Bruce knew how much you wanted to train with somebody then he'd do something for you but if you get hurt then you'll have to recover."

"I thought you hated the Bat family," Dick said quickly and Jason sighed. He knew that the former Nightwing was just projecting his hurt onto him. Jason had the strength to be able to take it. He could be turned into the punching bag if that made Dick feel better, if it made him happier than why should he argue with it?

"I don't hate anyone," Jason said before bowing his head, he laughed, "okay. I hate many people but none of you guys. Damian can be a little annoying but I do want to protect the family. I want to protect you," he said. Jason wasn't so used to showing vulnerability. He was loud mouthed and rash and sometimes people just didn't want him around. He had made his peace with that. It didn't mean that he hadn't recovered and he wouldn't lend a hand to his kin.

"Will you talk to Bruce for me?" Dick said and Jason blinked. He had asked for the opposite before but this time, Dick was asking him to bridge the communication. Sure, they had argued, but wouldn't Bruce listen and try to find a compromise.

"Make a deal with me," Jason said and Dick looked at him, laughing weakly. "I'll talk to Bruce but I want you to go at your own pace. It doesn't help any of us to take care of you."

Dick sighed before nodding. "Deal," he said knowing Jason was scared of him dying again. There had been a lot of pain when it came to Nightwing's death or disappearance. He would be worried about Jason too were their positions flipped. Hopefully Barbara wouldn't decide to stray from him. He wouldn't blame her if she did, he certainly hadn't wanted this to happen.

…

….

Barbara looked at the computer system which she had used as Oracle. Despite there now being a lot of tech-savvy people on their team or who they could rely on in an emergency, Dick needed an outlet and she knew this about him. He wouldn't be content doing nothing but resting in a bed and pretending to be a butler. She also didn't want to see him doing an out of character job like driving taxis. She sighed as she touched the computer. He was a quick learner and it was better if he was on the team contributing.

She never thought that she would like older men, or at least as old as Dick now looked but he was her something special. He was the boy who she had been beside when she had learned her skills as Batgirl. She loved his excitement and optimism and she had spent so many years looking the other way. Now he needed her and when she had heard of his death, she knew that she needed him as well.

"You're going to do amazingly," she told him despite being the only one in the room.

She wouldn't say that she didn't miss looking at the previous Dick Grayson, she had wanted to have that man in her wedding photo were the day to ever arise. She now had to imagine a new face standing beside her. A new face looking at her with those playful smiles and happy grins. It was better than death. At least he was alive.

"Dick," Barbara whispered believing that she was alone. It wasn't until she heard footsteps when she turned around. She paused as she saw her father there.

"Are you happy?" Jim asked as he took in the sight of his daughter. He wanted to protect her but she was so much like him, she wouldn't just sit still and do nothing. Fortunately, she also had his code of ethics and the morality to try to see the good in other people. "Because you're hurting both of you if you're not happy."

"Then it's a good thing that I love him," Barbara smiled. "Are you really going to try to be friends with Bruce Wayne?" she asked and Jim shrugged with a smile.

"I'd like to be his friend. There are many police officers who are friends with wealthy socialites. There are men on my force who believe themselves to know a lot about him." Jim said and Barbara smiled to him. They both knew who Bruce was on the inside now, how he had created that dark knight, that savior.

"Yeah, it makes sense but he's not the most approachable," Barbara stated. She frowned as she thought about how much Dick must be suffering at the given time and turned to look at her father. "I know he has to pretend to be someone else. I'm not stupid. I do love him though. I mean, when you and Mom were happy, wouldn't you stay with her if you were in my situation?"

"I would," Jim nodded. "When life seemed better and normal and your brother was just a kid who could be seen as a little strange but not…well, you know." Barbara nodded silently, surprised that her father had even brought him up. Hopefully this meant that he could support the two of them. What Dick needed was as much support as possible. She wanted to make sure that that was what he received.

…

…..

Bruce sighed as he looked over a book whilst sitting at a table in the house. Alfred passed him a plate and laughed a little. Bruce lifted his head and raised an eyebrow. "Something wrong?" he asked as he stared down at the fish. For some reason, it looked a lot fresher when he was seated next to a window than within the cave.

"Not wrong, sir. I'm quite surprised to see you in this room for a change," he remarked and Bruce sighed, turning back to the window.

"I'm not tucked away in the cave all the time, you make it sound like I have no social life at all," Bruce commented and Alfred laughed again.

"Indeed, Master Bruce."

Bruce turned to the book but held it with one hand, eating the fish with the other. He was trying to research some ways of including Dick on the team. If Dick wasn't going to go out and swing on ropes and live energetically then he needed some way of occupying his time or else he would push himself and it would take longer to recover. Bruce knew that from personal experience.

"How is he doing?" Bruce asked as he looked at Alfred, hope in his eyes.

"You're referring to Master Dick?" Alfred asked but didn't wait for a response, he didn't need to wait for a response to that clarification, the man hadn't left anyone's mind for weeks. "He's doing better than can be expected. According to Master Jason, Master Dick insisted that they fight but that was put to a stop immediately. I must say when I was told that, I was a little worried but I think something challenging to Master Dick's mind might be the best alternative."

Bruce grinned and placed the book on the table, "You know what, Alfred? I think, once again, you are completely right."

 **End of Chapter Ten**

 **Thank you for reading, reviews are appreciated**


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